


Do Not Enter

by Seicchanart



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/M, Minor Character Death, Pokemon AU, Songfic, Unethical Experimentation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:55:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28614717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seicchanart/pseuds/Seicchanart
Summary: “I was actually chasing a Mimikyu”, he mumbled. “Beforeyoumade sure it left my sight.”She shot him an apologetic look.“I’m sorry. So, do you want to be a Pokémon trainer?”Jonathan considered running away once more. It was really draining for him to have conversations with people.
Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Rachel Dawes
Kudos: 4





	1. The Disguise Pokémon

**Author's Note:**

> Jon's around 10, Rachel is about 8 in the first chapter. The first chapter is a reupload from the drabble collection.

_Do not enter's written on the door way_  
_Why can't everyone just go away?_  
_Except you_

.

Jonathan ran, as fast as his little legs took him. He could still hear the voice of his father resound in his body, loud yelling that made his head ache. He tried to push these thoughts away.

It didn’t matter, not right now. All that mattered was the pale yellow fabric he had seen move through the tall grass. The grass whipped at his face and body, but his pace didn’t slow. He had to catch it. He just _had_ to.

Suddenly, the grass in front of him opened into a clearing and he could see something other than the tall grass in front of his glasses, but only for a moment. Jonathan tripped, bumped into something, and fell onto his butt. His glasses had also fallen, clattering to the hard, dry earth next to him.

“Are you okay?”

He squinted. The voice was worried and had a high pitch, but he could only see blobs. He could already tell that he didn’t like the other person very much though. They _had_ ruined his only chance at capturing his dream Pokémon, after all.

With some patting on the ground, he found his glasses, placed them back on his nose and stood up, patting the dust out of his shorts.

“Yes.”, he grumbled, before he looked up.

In front of him stood a little girl. She was a bit shorter than him, and her brown hair was tied into two braids. She was still looking at him with a worried expression.

Jonathan blushed. He never really talked to girls (or anyone other than his father, really), and he didn’t know how to act. He felt his anxiety rising.

The girl opened her mouth to say another thing, but she was interrupted with the chirping of a Pokémon. Jonathan looked down, only to see a small Morpeko clinging on to her leg. It eyed him suspiciously and he almost wanted to stick his tongue out to it. He didn’t, though.

The girl immediately knelt down and started rummaging in her bag.

“Oh, Sammy, are you hungry? You should’ve said so earlier!”

She gave it an apple and Jonathan was wondering what he was still doing here. Would it be awkward if he just left?

But before he could, the girl had already stood up and was looking at him again. After a small pause (Jonathan noticed that his heart was beating unusually fast), she extended her hand.

“My name is Rachel. I’m sorry that I tripped you, I should’ve looked where I was going.”

He stared at her ( _Rachel’s_ ) hand and scratched at his arm. Then, he hesitantly shook it. His own was probably sweaty and gross. Suddenly, he began worrying about his appearance. He was ugly, he knew _that_ , but he probably was dirty as well.

In a vain effort, he combed his hand through his hair quickly, only to drop it again when it got stuck. Why was he even worrying about something like that?

He swallowed when he noticed she was still looking at him. He coughed nervously.

“‘M Jonathan”, he mumbled, and blushed even brighter when she smiled.

(Her smile was cute, he thought.)

“That’s a nice name. Do you live here?”

He looked away and nodded, fiddling with his fingers.

“Yeah. M- my father has a farm here, behind the tall grass.”

He could hear Rachel laugh at that, and felt his heart drop. Did she think that was funny? Did she think he was poor and was looking down on him? He started scratching his arm again.

“That’s so cool! I just moved into the town that is right over there!”

She pointed at the pond in front of him. Jonathan knew the town, of course. He went there to the store, sometimes. And his father sold the stuff he was growing there, too.

He nodded at that.

“Cool. Um, see you?”

When he looked up, he could see Rachel’s face fall into a frown.

“Do you have somewhere to be?”

Jonathan started chewing on his bottom lip. He really didn’t like being around other kids. They all started to bully him, sooner or later, and he was sure this time would be no different. Especially since she was new, and probably didn’t know the other town-kids yet. She would like them better, he knew that.

“No. Yes. Kinda.”

Rachel tilted her head at that.

“Kinda? What do you mean?”

Suddenly, he got angry again. Right, he had almost forgotten that _she_ had ruined his chance at catching a Mimikyu.

“I was actually chasing a Mimikyu”, he mumbled. “Before _you_ made sure it left my sight.”

She shot him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry. So, do you want to be a Pokémon trainer?”

Jonathan considered running away once more. It was really draining for him to have conversations with people.

“I don’t know.” (He knew. He’d be a farmer, just like his father. There was no way he’d allow Jonathan to be a trainer.) “I just want a Mimikyu.”

“Why?”

He bit down onto his bottom lip. That was something she _really_ didn’t need to know. Rachel seemed to sense his unwillingness to answer, so she continued.

“Well, I could help you! To make up for ruining it for you.”

He looked up and narrowed his eyes. What did she want from him? There was no way she actually _wanted_ to spend time with a weirdo like him.

“In what way would you be able to help me?”

His voice gave away his annoyance a lot more than he had wanted, and Rachel looked to the ground. He had hurt her. Or was she acting?

“Well…”, she mumbled. “Do you have Pokéballs?”

Jonathan balled his fist. She _did_ think he was poor, after all. She was right, of course, but he didn’t want to think about it. Didn't want others to judge him for it.

“No.”

Despite his cold tone, Rachel looked him right in the eye and smiled again (Jonathan could see the hurt still in her eyes. He didn’t think she was acting, at least not that) and pulled one out of her bag.

“You can have one of mine. Let me go with you to search for one, please?”

Jonathan looked to the ground. He _did_ probably need help. And a Pokéball was convenient, too. He still was sure she’d betray him sooner or later, though.

“Alright.”

Rachel jumped and hugged her Morpeko in joy. He would just have to be careful not to get attached. He didn’t need any friends, at least not human ones. The Mimikyu would be worth it. It wouldn’t ever betray him.


	2. You don't have any other friends, do you?

_You can stay_  
_What do you think_  
_Of my treehouse?_

.

It wasn’t actually so bad, to be kicked, Jonathan thought. You could almost get used to it. 

He closed his eyes, desperate to block out the voices of the other boys mocking him, and the pain of their shoes hitting his ribs and stomach repeatedly. He thought about how useless he was, and how he didn’t even have the courage to pluck his Pokéball from his belt.

When a familiar voice interrupted the yelling of the boys kicking him, he felt himself getting angry. And when Rachel chased them away with the help of her Morpeko, he almost wished she wouldn’t exist. That she wouldn’t see him like that.

Rachel knelt down next to him and brushed his hair out of his face.

“Are you okay?”

He wasn’t, of course, and the blood beginning to form a crust under his nose was evident of that.

“Why did you help me?”, he spat, and Rachel furrowed her brows.

She was rummaging in her bag again, and pulled out a first aid kit.

(Jonathan felt ill when he realized she carried that around for _him_.)

“C’mon Jon”, she answered, faking a cheerful tone. “That’s what friends are for, aren’t they?”

He shrugged at that, and when he saw the pity in her eyes it made his blood boil. She knew.

And as innocent as only a kid could, she asked: “You don’t have any other friends, do you?”

Jonathan didn’t answer.

She patched him up in silence, and when she was done, he released his Mimikyu from its Pokéball to let it play with Morpeko.

“Why didn’t you use it earlier? You could’ve fought them, like I did.”

( _You’re a good trainer, you wouldn’t understand_ , he thought. _I am weak._ )

“Mary doesn’t like fighting.”, he said instead, gently petting the top of his Mimikyu’s head.

Silence surrounded them again, and Jonathan felt his need to ask her rising. Why hadn’t she gone on a journey already? She was a talented trainer, and she was fourteen already. A lot of other kids from the town had already started their journey with the champion title as the goal.

(Secretly, when he laid awake in the stable, he dreamt of that, as well. It made him angry that Rachel just wasted her chance like that. Made him angry that it was probably because of _him_.)

Before he could decide whether or not to open his mouth however, a different voice sounded through the silence.

“Rachel?”

Jonathan didn’t know the boy that emerged from the bushes next to him and Rachel, and his first instinct was to run away. His first reaction was to be afraid.

He bit down onto his lip and stayed put. Whoever that was, and whatever he was going to do, Jonathan was not about to pull the attention to himself.

“Bruce.”, Rachel said, surprise in her voice, and Jonathan felt a jolt of jealousy at that. “What are you doing here?”

Bruce was tall and handsome, with black hair and expensive looking clothes. He was probably younger than Jonathan, around Rachel’s age.

(Jonathan once again was reminded of how ugly, short, dirty and poor he was.)

He stayed quiet, glaring at the other boy while Rachel’s eyes flicked between them uncertainly.

“Jonathan, that’s Bruce. He’s one of my friends in the town. He moved here recently.” 

( _One of_ , her voice resounded in his head. His heart filled with selfish bitterness.) 

“Bruce, that’s Jonathan. He’s from the farm behind the town. He was my first friend here, and we’ve been friends ever since I was eight.”

Jonathan didn’t say anything, not even when Bruce extends his hand and smiles at him. 

“Nice to meet you. Rachel’s told me a lot about you.”

He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly she had told him.

.

“Do I have to keep my eyes closed?”

Jonathan gripped her hand tighter and clenched his jaw. He was a lot more tense than he thought he would be. He thought back to the boys bullying him, and Rachel’s new high class friend, and shook his head. This wasn’t important right now.

“Yes. We’re going to be there soon, don’t worry.”

He felt uneasy, and was still wondering if this was the right decision. He had wanted to show her his secret hideout, a treehouse, ever since he had built it at thirteen, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust her.

He still wasn’t, but something about him meeting Bruce for the first time pushed him to finally do it.

Jonathan stopped abruptly, and Rachel bumped into his back. She was growing fast, she was already as tall as him. He was sure she would outgrow him some day.

“We’re here. You can look now.”

Rachel removed her hand from her eyes and looked up. When her face lit up in excitement, Jonathan felt something dark and possessive within him. Something he had never felt before.

“A treehouse? Did you build this?”

He nodded sheepishly, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“I know it’s not much, but…”

Rachel interrupted him, carrying the sun in her voice.

“Nonsense! It’s amazing! Can we go up?”

Jonathan nodded again and looked around him to make sure no one was close. The forest they were in was right next to his father’s farm, and he really didn’t want _him_ to see the treehouse. His father never really went into the forest though, so he guessed it was safe. 

He bent down to pick his Mimikyu up and then told it to climb the tree for him.

“Is she going to get the ladder?”

Jonathan didn’t answer, the answer to that was obvious. And when Mimikyu threw the ladder down, Rachel hugged her Morpeko tighter and squealed in excitement. 

“You can give Sammy to me. I can climb the ladder with one arm.”, he offered quietly, and the Pokémon immediately jumped onto his back.

(It was heavier than he had thought.)

Rachel laughed.

“It seems like he feels safer that way. What a traitor.”

.

It was peaceful up in the treehouse. Jonathan was sitting on the floor, his nose buried in one of the many books he had managed to sneak up here, while Rachel was leaning out of the window, staring at the forest beneath them.

(Morpeko and Mimikyu were playing together, and Jonathan almost wished he could show the affection he felt for Rachel as openly as they did.)

“Jonathan?”

It was rare that she addressed him by his full name. He thought about his father, how the man spat out the name and almost began to tremble. 

(He was good at hiding his emotions, though.)

“Hmm?”

Rachel was still looking out the window, and she looked almost sad. Jonathan felt a pit of worry opening in his stomach.

“Do you want to run away together?”

With a thud, the book slipped from between his fingers and fell to the floor.

“What?”

“Well.”, Rachel turned to look at him. “My mother said it’s fine if I go on a journey, but she doesn’t want me to go alone.”

Jonathan’s eyes were glued to the floor.

“And I know your father won’t let you go. I know he hates you.”

Her voice was soft and gentle, but her words hit him harder than anything his father had ever said to him. He swallowed his endless anger, like he always did.

( _It’s going to explode one day_ , he thought to himself. But today was not that day.)

“Why don’t you go with Bruce?”, there was an unmistakable bitterness in his voice, and now it was Rachel’s turn to look at the floor.

“I like Bruce. But I’ve known you for a lot longer.”

Jonathan didn’t dare ask her if that’s the only reason she liked him more than the other boy.

“This is a stupid idea.”, he said simply and Rachel blushed.

“You’re probably right.”

She needed a little while before her mood turned back to the normal, cheerful Rachel, and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking and playing with their Pokémon.

Rachel didn’t ask what the vials and colorful fluids he had in a little makeshift laboratorium in his treehouse were for, and she didn’t notice the plan forming in his head.

Everything was good, until it wasn't anymore.


	3. The End of The World

_It's were I sit_  
_And talk really loud_  
_Usually I'm all by myself_

.

Rachel had been sixteen when Jonathan disappeared.

She was twenty one now, and the boy who was once her best friend was nowhere to be found still, leaving behind the corpse of his father in the farm and a little girl with a broken heart.

(Rachel still never thought about what the dead body of Jonathan’s hated father in the living room meant. Nor did she allow herself to think about the missing scarecrow that wasn’t on the field it should be guarding.)

During the years he had been gone, Rachel had started her Pokémon journey with Bruce and had quickly soared through the ranks of her home region. She was the champion now, not that it filled her with any of the joy she had imagined as a little girl.

Bruce was the eight gym leader, her right hand and her best friend.

(A spot that had once belonged to someone else.)

All of those thoughts ran through her head while she walked through the empty warehouse. She had cleared out all the grunts she had encountered so far, and was now looking for the room the leader held the legendary in. Not that she’s ever been here, or had even _seen_ the leader before, for that matter.

It was weird, really, to see an evil team rise seemingly so quickly, in real time. She had heard of and watched the rise of several evil teams on TV as a kid, and especially team Galactic from Sinnoh had brought her some nightmares. 

They had all been dealt with, of course, and now it was her turn. Her turn to bring the legendary back to safety, her turn to defeat the evil team leader, her turn to save the world. She felt bad for all the kids who had to do similar things before.

(Team Scarecrow, they called themselves, and Rachel felt a pit opening in her stomach whenever she was confronted by them or the fear toxin they used both to distract and torture trainers, as well as power up Pokémon. It was horrible.)

She didn’t notice it then. Didn’t _want_ to notice, perhaps. Talked herself out of ever thinking about it. What all of the things she had already seen meant, when she put all the puzzle pieces together. That was her first mistake, perhaps, all those years ago.

Bruce’s voice cut through her thoughts, resounding from the communication headset she had on.

“Be careful, Rachel! Someone’s coming your direction!”

Not a moment later did she hear the footsteps.

When she turned around, she saw what she, deep inside of her, had already known. It still came as a surprise, somehow, and a bottomless disappointment.

Jonathan stood in front of her, in full scarecrow-esque costume (not unlike the one of the grunts), a scythe slung over his shoulder.

(Mary was next to him, and Rachel’s heart ached at the sight of the tiny Pokémon. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could swear there was guilt in its beady little eyes.)

He was grinning triumphantly, and Rachel felt like she would throw up any moment.

“ _You_.”

Jonathan laughed, a sound devoid of any joy.

“You can’t stop me now. Even if you do beat me.”

Rachel knew she should feel afraid, but the only thing she could feel was anger. What did he think he was doing? Why had _she_ let this happen? If only she had seen - understood - the signs earlier. She thought back to all the destruction she had seen the past months, all the destroyed lives of humans and Pokémon alike.

(She’d stop him, even if it would cost her life. She felt guilty for this whole ordeal, after all.)

She did end up beating him in their first and only Pokémon battle. The only thing she could think about is how he lied about Mary not liking to fight.

(The tiny Pokémon, Jonathan’s closest friend and protector, nearly ended up wiping her whole team. It wasn’t an easy win, and Rachel didn’t allow herself to worry how she would deal with the legendary.)

When she ran past him, she could see him spin around from the corner of her eye, trying to follow her, but it was too late. She ripped open the door at the end of the hallway, only to be greeted by an explosion. A huge piece of rubble hit Jonathan in the head, and the Pokémon - the _monster_ \- she saw emerge from the flames instilled blind panic in her veins.

How had anyone done this before? How had anyone before her ever been brave? All of her courage, all of the faith she had built up in herself and her skills seemed to disappear at last.

(Jonathan’s body was lying behind her, his Mimikyu hunched over him. She didn’t want to think about whether he was still alive or not.)

The legendary roared, and she was frozen in her spot, just waiting for her death, greeting the end of the world with open arms. The building would collapse soon. She hoped Bruce was safe, at least.

Only when she felt a brush of fur on her hand could she move again. She flinched, and looked down to see Sammy’s fear filled eyes looking up to her. He had slipped his paw in her hand, and she realized what this was.

The fear, the despair - it was all in the air. It all oozed from the legendary, attacking everyone coming close to it.

(Something she could most likely thank Jonathan for, at least she couldn’t remember anything in the myths of her region about the legendary spreading fear.)

It was all over anyway, she decided.

And Sammy looked up to her, and from the look in his eyes she knew he thought the same.

It was all over anyway, and it still would be, even if she gave her best. She would still try, though.

Rachel squeezed the paw of her Morpeko and thought back to how they met. Thought back to how they arrived in the new town, how they met Jonathan and helped him catch Mary.

She took a step forward.


	4. Whatever remains

_I'm the captain but you can be the deputy_  
_I'm really glad you think I'm so funny_  
_I don't think I'm ever gonna let you leave_

.

When Jonathan woke up, everything hurt and Rachel was holding his hand. His vision was blurry, but he could see the sky above him. They were outside.

They were alive.

He slowly, carefully turned his head to look at her. She was unconscious, or asleep. Her face was scratched up, but she looked fine. Her Morpeko was lying next to her, seemingly asleep too.

And they were alive.

His head hurt like hell, and he turned back to the sky.

Mary chirped on his other side. He knew she would look at him accusatory, so he didn't look, but he extended the hand not held by Rachel to pet her softly.

His plan had failed. Everything was over, and the sky above him was a beautiful, clear blue. It hardly seemed fair. He had killed his father to be where he was now. Had experimented day and night, and had amassed a group of followers.

It had all slipped from between his fingers. Jonathan had fucked it all up, just like he always did.

For some reason, he didn’t feel as bad as he probably should. He felt relieved, a little bit.

It felt like a huge chunk of the bitterness was gone from his heart.

(Only for how long she was holding his hand, though. He was sure about _that_.)

The world hadn’t gone down in fear, and Jonathan hadn’t been able to get revenge on the universe for being so unfair to him. He didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t have anything left, except for his own life and Mary’s.

He thought back to the last day he had seen Rachel before today. It had been her birthday, and he had been planning to leave for a few months already. He hadn’t been able to leave without seeing her one last time though, and he had gifted her a necklace he had made himself. She had smiled at him, and for one moment he had thought about giving this all up, imagined spending his whole life with her. Not that that had been possible for him, or would ever be.

(Rachel was wearing the necklace right at this moment. He had seen it earlier, during their fight.)


End file.
